Carrie Schneider: Sphinx

MASS MoCA presents a suite of new works made over the past 2½ years by artist Carrie Schneider. Reminiscent of abstract paintings, her photographs play with the camera’s imaginative potential and its relationship to the subconscious, while experimenting with the medium’s sculptural possibilities. Isolated during the pandemic, Schneider, like many of us, relied on her phone to find community and inspiration. Working with a room-sized camera she built herself – a sort of camera obscura affixed with a large-format Rodenstock lens – she exposes screen grabs of friends’ social media feeds, images from her private archive, and shots of historical artworks directly to photo paper. The enigmatic results provide glimpses into the artist’s interior life and present a picture of a deep desire for connection. Paperback.